The Runway is inspired by the true story of a South American pilot who landed his plane near Mallow, in 1983. Against all odds, the people of the town came together to build a runway to get him home and briefly caught the imagination of the nation. It is the story of Paco, a young boy without a father who adopts the pilot Ernesto and convinces the town to fix his plane. But then to reunite Paco with his friend whose family are travelers and whose business is laying tarmac, Ernesto convinced the town to build a runway to get him home.